Sapiens By Yuval Noah Harari

Seventy thousand years ago, there were at least six different human species on earth. They were insignificant animals whose ecological impact was less than that of fireflies or jellyfish. Today, there is only one human species left: Us. Homo sapiens. But we rule this planet.

Sapiens, the book, takes us on a breath-taking ride through our entire human history, from its evolutionary roots to the age of capitalism and genetic engineering, to uncover why we are the way we are. Sapiens focuses on key processes that shaped humankind and the world around it, such as the advent of agriculture, the creation of money, the spread of religion, and the rise of the nation state. Unlike other books of its kind, Sapiens takes a multi-disciplinary approach that bridges the gaps between history, biology, philosophy, and economics in a way never done before. Furthermore, taking both the macro and micro view, Sapiens conveys not only what happened and why, but also how it felt for individuals.

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind is a book by Professor Yuval Noah Harari first published in Hebrew in Israel in 2011, and in English in 2014. Harari cites Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel (1997) as one of the greatest inspirations for the book by showing that it was possible to "ask very big questions and answer them scientifically".